Its skyline was dominated by towering white marble structures that reached toward the sky. It was absolutely breathtaking. Before leaving Bryniard, they didn’t know constructions could be built with materials other than wood orbrick, but now all they could see were majestic buildings as far as the eye could see.
Walking down the streets, Alissa noticed none of the pathways were covered in grass or mud; they had all been paved in polished dark stones. When they moved further down into the capital, they were greeted by wide boulevards lined with statues of ancient kings and carved fountains surrounded by the largest and most colorful field of sunflowers. Alissa had only ever seen yellow sunflowers, but in Golheim, anything seemed possible.
The streets bustled with activity as merchants peddled their wares beneath stone archways, while carriages transported people she could only assume were nobility. Alissa admired the elegant gowns worn by the women around her. The flowing silk skirts, adorned with delicate white lace along the hems, and the velvet bodices in bold colors like emerald green and burgundy, were draped so beautifully that they captured her eyes. Alissa could only imagine the elegance of the royal family’s attire if this was how the nobility dressed every day.
“What is that?” she asked Eldric as she observed a type of vehicle similar to a carriage, moving forward without a horse to pull it.
“It’s a vehicle reserved for the Iron Claws and the royal family themselves. Stay away from them. We do not want to be recognized!”
“Where is the horse to pull the cart?”
“It doesn’t need one, it’s motorized,” Eldric explained. The look of confusion on both Alissa’s and Freyah’s faces was priceless. “That means it moves using a fuel generated from carbon that powers the carriage itself.”
Their jaws dropped. This place could have come from storybooks. It definitely didn’t seem real, not when Bryniard in all its ancient essence was everything they had known only months ago.
Golheim was so full of people on every corner that Alissa had been concerned at first that they could be easily recognized. But the truth was no one even looked at them twice. These people were so focused on their own lives and bustling routine, they couldn’t care less about others. For the people of Golheim, Alissa and her friends were invisible. She had realized that when an old lady bumped into Freyah, and instead of apologizing, the woman cursed the Weller’s next ten generations. They understood then what Eldric had meant when he called his fellow citizens “bastards.”
When they reached the main square, Alissa saw a man selling flowers, and the sight left her petrified. Not because of the man’s physical appearance—in fact, he was just another ordinary middle-aged man in Golheim. The only thing that made him stand out in comparison to the other people was the glowing green threads flowing around him. Threads like the ones that flew around Dhalia, but in a different color. Alissa was taken aback by the sight. She turned around, looking for other people surrounded by the threads so similar to the ones that had haunted her entire life, but there wasn’t anyone else.
Alissa pulled Freyah by the elbow as she came to a halt. “Do you see that?” she whispered, her index finger pointed to the man.
“That man? Yes, I see him.”
“Do you see the greenish threads around him?”
“No. Threads?” Freyah gasped. “Like the ones from Senectus?”
“Yes, but this one is in a different color.”
They observed the stranger with narrowed eyes, trying to discern any connection between his greenish glow and the black and white patterns associated with Senectus Subita, but no plausible theory emerged. The stranger, feeling uneasy under their scrutiny, shifted uncomfortably. A few steps ahead, Eldriclooked back to see that Alissa and Freyah had halted, their stares fixed and intense on the man.
Eldric cursed under his breath and took quick, large steps, grabbing them both by their hands. “What in Heldraine’s land are you two staring at that poor man when we have other places to be?”
He was right; they should stick to the plan. A plan that had designed for their stops around town. They had agreed not to make any stops other than those agreed in advance. They had also made sure to stay quick and alert at all times. Alissa glanced at Eldric and saw him take the position of a protector again, his killer look, ready to murder anyone who challenged them.
The plan consisted of three parts:
One: Considering the Library of All Things was the most visited building in the realm, security was reinforced, and no one could enter the premises without identification. Desi’s part in the first stage of the plan was to convince her mother to help her friends bypass security and infiltrate the library.
Two: The group needed to find a place to stay and lie low while in the capital. Eldric knew staying with his family was too risky as the Iron Claws probably had been keeping an eye on the Van Myrs since he’d gone rogue. Staying in inns was not an option, as the risk of being handed over to the guards was considerable, especially since they had a bounty on their heads. Eldric decided then that he would call in a favor from an old friend.
Three: Desi would meet them in a secluded alley they had agreed on as a meeting point with instructions on how to enter the Library of All Things—if she succeeded on stage one of the plan.
As Desi got started with step one at that very moment, Eldric, Freyah, and Alissa headed to the place they had hoped they could take cover for as long as their stay in the capital lasted.
A man opened the door after Eldric’s incessant knocks. His face instantly paled at the sight of the former Royal Guard standing on his doorstep.
“Eldric!” he said in a breath. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I missed you too, Breno.” Eldric’s lips curved up slightly. “Can we come in?”
“We?” Breno’s eyes drifted to Freyah and Alissa, recognizing them from the posters featuring their faces.
Breno wasn’t very good at hiding his feelings—anyone could tell he was fighting an internal battle as they spoke.Should I let them in?
Alissa started reaching for her dagger to help ease the decision for him, but Eldric held her hand before she could move. She was thankful for him then, because a second later, the man stepped aside, signaling them in. He guided them to the kitchen table, where they all sat together.
Breno was a short man, and although he was around Eldric’s age, he appeared to be a lot older, as no hair grew on his scalp. His thick, round-framed glasses rested on the tip of his nose while he stared at them.